Prologue: The Exchange
by Ultimateblack
Summary: In an apocalyptic future, 21 year old Davis Kamiya returns to the past to try and prevent the devastation caused by a resurrected Cyborg Dragomon. He will have to save his world - by changing the past. Can he do it? This is the beginning of two parallel stories. SPOILERS! DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU ARE UP TO DATE WITH MY OTHER DIGIMON STORIES. 02 AU


_A/N: Welcome to my new story! This is an experiment carried out to pass time, so it's something of a hobby. First of all, I want to thank my Beta, Shara Raizel, for editing my work for without her, this would probably be not as it is. It'd probably have many plot holes, grammatical errors and awkward phrasing. She's awesome, so please check out her stories. But any loyal Digimon fan would know her 'Ultimate Gathering of the Digidestined' and 'Drowning Memories". She's on leave right now, so I thought that now is the time to upload this story._

 _Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading. I put quite a bit of effort into writing this. This is the beginning of two stories, both occurring at the same time. Read on to find out! Don't forget to leave a review, because I would love to improve my writing even further._

 _That being said, happy reading!_

 _EDIT: This version is updated and refined. If you were so lucky to read the original one, then good for you! However, this is a cleaner version. Some dialogue was cut, awkward and forced ideas were modified to suit continuity in LFAW and MotOS._

 _DISCLAIMER: Digimon is the property of Toei Animation, Saban, blah blah blah. None of this is mine, except the plot and anything I made up._

* * *

 **PROLOGUE: THE EXCHANGE**

 **Davis' Odaiba, 10 years in the future**

It was late at night, and Grand Principal Genji Naigo sat at his desk. He hardly ever left his office nowadays. The paperwork was overwhelming and he was growing old. Maybe it was about time he retired. He leaned back in his chair and gazed out of the window at the school compound. His office was located on the fifth and top floor of the main building where he had a good view of the campus.

 _Odaiba Academia, an institution he created to seek out the next generation of heroes… and also to act as a cover for his research._

With time, Genji had grown attached to the students and the school. Sadly, it was facing shutting down due to a murderer on the loose, but that didn't stop Genji from trying his best to keep it open. He wasn't going to let years of his work just go away like that. In the end, he had convinced the Directors' Board of the school to let the institution continue to run for another term, which gave him 3 months' time to clear out his stuff. He had some _really_ heavy and top secret equipment to move.

It was raining outside, and the raindrops hit the window like bullets. Lightning slashed across the sky and thunder rumbled, but the old man barely flinched. Such weather was getting more common nowadays.

Suddenly, the doors to his office were pushed open, slamming to the walls next to it with a loud bang. A figure in cloak strode towards the Grand Principle, his face veiled by the hood.

Frowning, Principal Genji addressed the man. "There is a sign outside that says 'knock before you enter' for a reason, you know."

The man ignored him. "Professor Gennai, I'm running short of time." He pulled back the hood to reveal spiky maroon hair, blue framed goggles and a red scar running from his right temple to his neck.

Genji stood up immediately. The person was Davis Kamiya, leader of the Digidestined – an elite squad of heroes that Genji had formed. Only they and a few others knew of his alter ego of Gennai. Judging by the look on Davis' face, he wasn't bearing good news. Walking over to the bookshelf in his office, Genji pressed a hidden button and it slid aside to reveal a hidden door.

"This way, please. Where are the others, Davis?"

"They will open a portal when they are ready to join us-" Davis held up a doughnut-shaped device, "-with the help of this IDP, the intra-dimensional portal device." Genji had created this ingenious device recently to give the Digidestined a quick escape route in the event that they were cornered. Each device had a tracker, which allowed the user to locate his or her friends and regroup. "Now, I only hope that they can survive against that cyborg monster long enough. He has been chasing them for some time already."

"Cyborg monster… Do you mean Dragomon?"

Davis nodded but didn't say anything. Genji grimaced, as Dragomon was the murderer responsible for his institution closing.

They entered the hidden door and walked down a corridor that led to a clean white room. It was Genji's personal armory and laboratory. Also, it provided a good escape route when things got serious. Genji would never admit to anyone that he used this place to take naps whenever he didn't feel like receiving a visitor.

As they approached an arched doorway, Genji's clothing transformed from a brown formal suit into a white laboratory coat. "Neat, right? I discovered how to manipulate digital atoms and formed the link between matter and-"

"I don't have time for a lecture, Professor. I need to see the time machine and learn how it works." Davis interrupted Genji mid-speech.

Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Genji asked, "And why exactly do you need my time machine? I'm not even going to ask how you found out about it in the first place." Genji had long since stopped questioning the young man about where he got his information. "So far I've only used it to drop packages back in time. I can't let you transport yourself, if that's what you want it for. It hasn't been tested with living matter-"

"Listen to me, Professor. We're fighting a losing war here. The only thing that can change it is if the war never happened in the first place."

Davis looked wearily at Genji, who saw deep pools of sorrow, anger, grief and regret in the boy's eyes. "I am to blame for the loss of lives going on, and I intend to set it right. I have to go back to the past and change it."

Genji fell silent, contemplating his words carefully. "Davis, you do realize the ramifications that can happen if you carry out your plan right? You could create a paradox, or even make things worse."

"It can't be worse than it already is, Professor." Changing the subject, he said, "I've seen many things. The Digiegg of Miracles has shown me an alternate world in which I died at a young age, and the world was overcome by Darkness."

"How did it show you these… visions?" Genji questioned. He had not heard of this before.

"The Digiegg is the physical manifestation of the ethereal guardian of the multiverse. The Spirit of Miracles cannot form a body of living matter here, so it opts to channel its essence in a sacred digiegg. Every time it has something to show me, it just materializes in front of me. I touch it and I get visions in my head. They give me a migraine after that."

"Davis, you speak of the Digiegg as if it were alive."

"In a way, it is. Like certain magical objects, it can disappear and reappear to the person who needs it most. Sometimes, a person can invoke the power of the Digiegg and create a miracle. It has happened for me a few times already, when I fought against Dragomon."

"Has it ever shown anybody else these visions?"

The Kamiya nodded. "Only to Ken Ichijouji, because he needs to know crucial information." He muttered the rest, "And that the Ken from the other world is the digimon Kaiser."

"WHAT?"

Davis recoiled from the shout but he waved a dismissive hand and continued, "Now, back to where I left off. The Digimon Kaiser, a ruthless dictator completely took over the Digital World, because nothing could stop Kimeramon. The Digidestined fought valiantly against the Kaiser and after that, the Demon Corps, barely seizing victory in the end."

Taking deep breath, he continued pacing and recounting his vision. "Then it was revealed MaloMyotismon was behind the entire thing and he defeated the Digidestined. Now, if I could just prevent my other self from dying in the first place…"

"You plan to change the history of TWO worlds? How incredibly noble of you."

Davis ignored the comment but raised a brow. _Since when had the professor pick up sarcasm?_ "Before they were killed by Dragomon, Sam Ichijouji and Yukio Oikawa somehow managed to apply the same concept you used to create your IDP device and created an inter-dimensional one that links our world to the world I want to go to. The problem is I can only travel to a dimension whose timeline is parallel to ours."

Genji caught on to his plan quickly. "So you need to go back in time to make the journey."

Davis nodded. "I plan to let my younger self lead the Chosen Children of that world and their Davis will lead our Digidestined. The same goes for Ken, who will take the other Ken's place as the Digimon Kaiser. I believe that the other version of me will make different choices."

"Davis, you can't force this upon your younger selves. They have a right to choose and I doubt that they can stand the pressure of the condemning knowledge."

"And that is why I need this." Davis picked up a device that Genji recognized as yet another one of his inventions. The professor sighed, "A memory modifier? You've really planned this thoroughly, haven't you?"

A faint smile escaped Davis' lips, "Of course, Professor. I can't afford to make mistakes."

A blipping sound came from his pocket and he took out the intra-dimensional portal device. He pressed a button, placed it on the floor and stepped back as a portal opened. Two figures stumbled out of the portal, wearing battered armor and breathing heavily in exhaustion.

The first person through was Ken Ichijouji, and he wore his Sting Armor. The black and green suit had bullet holes and cuts, and one of the wings was torn in half. Behind him was Cody, wearing his yellow and brown Drill Armor which was in just as bad shape as Ken's.

After helping Ken get up, Davis grunted as he heaved Cody to his feet. Looking worriedly at the two newcomers, he asked, "Where are Yolei and the digimon? They were supposed to be with you."

Looking down at their feet, Ken spoke up for Cody. "Dragomon happened. Right before we opened the portal, we were attacked. Yolei and the Digimon held him off. They-They pushed us into the portal before it closed…" He faltered, unable to put into words the horror that would have come after that.

Davis looked at him with shock and horror. He fell to his knees, unable to keep the look of fear off his face.

Kneeling down, Cody gently told Davis. "You cannot give up now. We have to complete this mission. Otherwise so many people will have lost their lives for nothing."

After a tense silence, Davis got up. "You're right. We have to do this _now,_ " he said, his voice hoarse with emotion.

Genji who had been standing off to the side quietly, walked over to a machine on the far side of the lab. He pressed a few buttons and the machine whirled to life. "I see there is no changing your mind, so let's get started."

* * *

It didn't take long to set up the time machine. Genji strode around the room, clicking a few buttons here, turning a few dials there. "Our technology may be advanced, but the time machine is still a prototype," he explained.

Davis took out a blue device that looked like an iPhone, only much thicker. It was the latest Digivice model, created by Genji and his assistants. He scrolled through the functions and hit the "Form Change" button. A set of black and blue armor replaced his cloak and robes, and a soft "Raidra Armor Active" emanated from the square device. His black and blue armor was based off the Digiegg of Friendship's design. The Digiegg Armors had been invented so that the Digidestined could fight beside their partners and to protect themselves from danger.

Grabbing a cylindrical item from his belt, he pushed a few buttons and a soft "Weapon Standby" came from the device's speakers "Hurry, Professor. Dragomon may be here any minute. If he traced the energy signal from the portal Ken and Cody traveled through, then he could be near."

"I'm trying, Davis. I'm trying."

Ken, who had just grabbed a few weapons from the shelves, loaded his laser gun. "I hope this isn't our last stand." Cody nodded in agreement.

"And it's done!" Genji cried out. "Set the location and time you want, and you should be able to get something done in that time.

"This time machine rips a hole in space, allowing you to travel through time. However, this will be a one way trip if you choose to go back to a time before this machine was invented. " Genji a.k.a. Professor Gennai explained. He paused, and looked at Davis pointedly. "How far back are you going to travel?"

"Ten years."

Genji counted the years backwards and groaned. "The time machine was invented 7 years ago. This _is_ going to be a one way trip, isn't it?"

Genji was resigned not to question the craziness of Davis' plan. There were too many loopholes and gambles being taken. "Why don't you just go all the way back to the past when you were a toddler and change the entire freaking history itself?"

Cody responded, "That would be going too far back. Besides, it was our generation who screwed up."

Genji rubbed his face with his hands. _This is too much to take in._ His face turned serious as he addressed the remaining Digidestined. "I can't assure you that this machine will work," he warned them, "Even if it does, you are all aware of the consequences, right? Instead of changing history, you might end up removing this timeline from the multiverse."

 _Boom._

Everyone glanced towards the metal door. There was a dent in it that wasn't there before.

 _Boom._

The dent was now starting to look like a fist.

"We are sure, Professor Gennai, but we are not worried. If we fail, there won't be any timeline to return to anyway." Ken replied, eyes fixated on the door. The other two Digidestined tensed up

 _Boom._

The door was beginning to crumple inwards and one of its hinges was broken. With one final hit, it crashed to the floor and in walked a black and silver cyborg. It had a metal arm and robotic feet; its right eye was replaced with a silver patch that had a red lens, and wires connected to the back of its head. The human parts were pale and purple veins spread all over them. When it spoke, it had a distinctive male voice, but the evil that dripped off its every word gave the listeners shivers.

"Ah, the remnants of the Digidestined. I had so much fun destroying the girl and digimon partners that you deserted." Davis looked ready to lunge but Cody held him back, shaking his head slightly.

The cyborg continued. "Really, so much for teamwork and 'leaving no man behind'… I will have the time of my life killing you all."

Genji gritted his teeth and spoke to the young men behind him. "Get to the machine, now!" Revenge driven, Davis ignored him and charged, a zigzag blade appearing from the cylinder he held. "Die, Dragomon!" He slashed at the cyborg who dodged the strikes easily. Changing his robot arm into a giant fist, he landed a hard punch on Davis, sending him flying backwards.

"Davis!" Cody and Ken joined the battle, the former launching detachable rocket drills from his gauntlets and the latter firing his shotgun from a distance. Dragomon dodged the projectiles but got hit by the laser blasts.

At first they were on even ground, but the cyborg grabbed one of the rocket drills flying past it and hurled the projectile at Ken. It hit Ken in the chest plate of his armor and was thrown back with the air knocked out of him, then Dragomon fired a flamethrower at Cody from his robot-arm-turned-weapon, causing him to retreat to a safe distance next to Davis who had just regained his balance. "I love this form," the Lord of the Dark Ocean grinned. "My idea was brilliant!"

They were about to charge again when Genji yelled for them to stop. "Stay back! I'll handle him." He grabbed a shield and a blaster from one of the tables and began firing at the cyborg. "You will have to go through me, Dragomon." Dodging a few shots from Dragomon, Genji rolled to his left and came up in a defensive stance. The professor shot the cyborg in the right knee and Cyborg Dragomon stumbled. Grunting as he tried to regain his balance, the annoyed cyborg fired a few cover shots.

Spotting the three figures standing near a machine that looked like an arch with emitters on the sides, he smiled. They activated a vortex portal, and pressed a few buttons before glancing around.

 _Trying to escape, eh? Not this time._ He activated a missile that launched from this left foot and sent it towards them.

Sensing danger, Genji leapt in front of the missile, holding his shield out to protect the younger ones. The explosion threw him against the wall, where he collapsed and lay lifelessly on the ground. The cyborg walked over to the fallen man. "Pitiful, aren't you? Giving your life for others but not changing anything in the end," he grinned. He loaded his arm-cannon, aimed and fired.

"NO!" Cody switched to his Submari Armor and drew his saw-blade sword. He activated the plasma that covered his blade, making it crackle with energy. Looking up from his handiwork, Dragomon turned his attention towards Cody. Recognizing him, Dragomon let loose a cackle. "Oh, yes. Excellent." Grabbing a dagger from his belt that expanded into a long katana, he slashed at Cody, who blocked the strike and left them in a locked position. "First I killed the father, now I shall kill the son."

Forehead beading with perspiration, Cody yelled at Davis and Ken who were standing in front of the activated time portal. "Go! I'll hold him off as long as I can. Save my father, my dear friends. Save us all!" They both hesitated, but nodded in the end. Jumping through the portal, they disappeared into the stream that led them to the past.

Frowning, Dragomon thought confusedly. _Save his father?_ Then the cyborg's eye widened in realization. _It's a time portal!_

Kicking Cody aside, he lunged desperately at the duo entering the portal. Cody was faster. He got up and slashed the console with his blade, destroying the time machine and collapsing the vortex. Dragomon – who was about to jump through the portal – missed it and crashed into the wall.

"NO!" Screaming in frustration, Dragomon got up and aimed his arm-cannon at the young man who backed against the wall. "You have gotten in my way for the last time."

Smiling faintly as blood trickled down his chin, Cody stared at the cyborg. "That is because you have failed for the last time." He closed his eyes in acceptance of the fate that awaited him.

Narrowing his eye in anger, Dragomon fired.

* * *

 **Davis' Odaiba, present day**

Davis and Ken stumbled out of a vortex portal that had suddenly appeared near the building. They quickly whipped out their Digivices and clicked a few buttons. Their armor disappeared and normal clothes appeared in their place. Davis wore his cloak over a blue shirt and jeans while Ken wore a dark purple hoodie jacket above a white T-shirt and black pants. Both of them put up the hoods to conceal their faces.

Looking around, Davis breathed in the fresh night air. "If only things could have stayed this way forever." Ken nodded in agreement but motioned for him to be quiet. They approached the building. On their way to Davis' apartment, Ken asked Davis quietly. "You set the date to the night when I came to stay in your house? Your parents were out and Tai was still missing. Why?"

"The most suitable time to go to would be tonight, because it is not too far back to completely change history. If we return to Tai's era when we were ignorant about the Digital World, we might start something cataclysmic." Davis explained. "It's also to save you the trouble of going all the way to Tamachi," he added.

Upon reaching the door to his apartment, Davis produced the key to unlock the door out of habit. It was his apartment after all, and the locks had never been changed. Still, he found it more appropriate to notify the residents. He pocketed the key and asked Ken to ring the doorbell. His friend did so a few times and not long after, the door opened slightly and two kids in pajamas peeked out of the gap. One had spiky maroon hair and the other raven hair. The former narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Who are you?"

Glancing at his best friend, the older Davis shrugged before turning to the two kids. The older duo pulled down their hoods to reveal older yet similar faces to the younger duo and smiled as the younger two's mouths fell open. "We are your future selves and we have a lot to discuss."

* * *

 **Kamiya Residence**

"So you want me to go to a parallel world, take the place of my alternate self who is supposed to die tomorrow, save that dimension and leave everything I know and love here behind."

"Yes, exactly that."

Younger Davis pursed his lips as he gazed at the night scenery outside of the glass doors of the apartment.

The older him walked over and put a hand on his shoulder and he smiled faintly. He had heard of consoling oneself figuratively but this was literal. "You will have a family, friends, and pretty much everything I never had; things that you will never have if you continue down my path." He thought of his past as he looked at his younger self's face. He remembered having few friends to trust, parents who were seldom around and searching for a missing brother when he was around that age.

Younger Davis eyed the scar on his older self's neck. "Isn't that a little unfair to the other me? I get to enjoy what he should have had and he is brought here to suffer my fate?"

"He gets a chance to live, rather than just die at an early age. I think that is a fair trade." Pinching the bridge of his nose, Davis asked his younger self, "Have you ever felt an intense rage, anger and negative emotion rise within you every now and then? Have you ever been blinded by pride, driven by revenge and fueled by hate?"

Davis the younger was taken aback by the sudden change of topic. "Yes, I suppose. Why?"

Older Davis shook his head sadly and replied, "As expected, you have the Darkness within you."

"The Darkness?"

"Yes, most of us have it. It's the reason so many humans have succumbed to evil."

The future Davis crouched down, meeting his eyes with those of his younger self. "We can't control nor restrain the Darkness from destroying our future, but our other self from the parallel dimension is one of the rare ones whose hearts are free from the Darkness. The power of Miracles exists within him too, and his early death is a waste if he can't put that power to use. I come from a future where I am powerless to stop the evil from taking over the world. But, the other me can do what I cannot. And in return, we can save his world from suffering a future fate similar to ours."

A moment of silence filled the room. Younger Davis spoke up, "What made you so determined to change the past? You don't seem to want to take no for an answer."

Contemplating whether he should tell his younger self, Davis mused silently. Finally, he said, "I can't tell you much, only that things should not have gone this way. Life was fine at first; we had saved the world multiple times. I—my team and I were unstoppable, and I got overconfident. There was this Dark Digiegg that was formed from the battle between us and Dragomon. It contained his essence after we destroyed his body, and I was told to destroy it. Being overconfident as I mentioned earlier, I did not do so."

"I wasn't willing to give up the trophy we gained from the battle. So I sealed the Digiegg away, foolishly believing that I could stop Dragomon again if he was able to resurrect himself." He shook his head in regret. "But it somehow managed to infect the remains of the Ultimate Armor that one of our past enemies created. It was an armor that contained data on all of our powers and attacks."

Rubbing his chin, older Davis continued. "The armor was a ghost, animating itself when nobody was around and began murdering people. Finally, it latched onto the unfortunate scientist who was trying to recreate the Ultimate Armor from its shattered pieces and turned into Cyborg Dragomon. I realized too late that that was Dragomon's plan to infiltrate the real world and catch us off guard. One by one, the digidestined fell to their own finishing attacks. Funnily enough, he didn't seem to use special attacks the last time we fought him. I guess he just wanted to kill us instead of the usual toying he did."

"You can just guide me instead of this whole insane plan, you know."

"You think I haven't thought of that?" He reached into his cloak and brought out the memory modifier. "If I serve as your guide, things might become worse than it already is. My presence will somehow completely change the course of events, probably leading to an alternate future where I can't even help you. So, should you choose to remain, I will be forced to erase your memory with this device and go into hiding. You will have no memory of our talk and you will proceed to make the mistakes I did. Your friends will die like mine did. I don't want that to happen." His tone was desperate, even pleading.

"I don't know, man. It's a lot to take in. First, a cloaked guy and an accomplice knock on my door and tell me they are from the future. Then they reveal they are actually future grown up selves of my friend and I. After that, I am asked to travel to a different dimension to save it while the alternate version of me—who is supposed to die—takes my place, just because my older self does not want me to make the mistakes he did which, according to him, I will." The younger boy took a breath and examined his feet. "Why does Ken have to travel with me too?"

Davis chuckled. "You probably won't understand, but it involves him being the Digimon Kaiser and something about dark spores."

His younger self gave him a blank stare. "Yup, I totally didn't get that."

"So, are you willing to help me?"

The Ichijoujis walked out from the kitchen. The younger Ken was looking pale but he wore a look of determination. "We are, and we are ready."

Younger Davis looked at his friend with surprise. He did not expect Ken to agree with the whole idea, much less answer for him. "Why?" He asked Ken.

"It's the right thing to do. If our dimension can be saved and that nightmare of a future can be avoided, I'd do whatever it takes."

Looking at the three expectant faces around him, younger Davis sighed. "I don't suppose I have much of a choice. I'm in."

Older Davis stood up and clapped his hands. "Good. Get changed. We leave soon."

* * *

 **Daisuke's Odaiba, present day**

As always, Odaiba was buzzing with people at night.

A portal appeared in a dark alley, and four human beings stepped out of it. Davis and Ken helped their younger counterparts regain their footing.

"Don't worry; you're much better off than we were. The first time we went through a portal, we threw up." Older Ken grinned, while older Davis grimaced at the memory.

They split up at the crossroads. "If this world is similar to ours, you should still be living in Tamachi." Older Davis explained and handed older Ken the memory modifier.

Davis and his younger counterpart made their way to an apartment building, which was similar to theirs; the Ichijoujis took the Sting Armor Express to Tamachi. Overall, the place was identical to their own dimension at the time, except for the lack of damaged buildings and the enormous Odaiba Academia at the center of the island.

What they didn't know was that the presence of the Digiegg of Miracles had caused a ripple of power. That ripple had caught the attention of Demon of the Demon Lords, who decided to check it out. While the Kamiya duo walked towards the flat, a dark portal suddenly emerged from the ground. A figure with horns, wearing a red cape rose from it and peered at the Kamiya duo. Older Davis took out his Digivice from his pocket and glared at the demon digimon. "Daemon…"

Demon cocked his head. He spoke in a deep, male voice. "It's _Demon._ You know me, human?"

"I know I'm going to send you back to wherever you came from."

Chuckling, Demon raised his hand towards the duo. "Try me. Flame Inferno!" Searing hot waves of dark red fire blazed towards Davis and his younger self. They were covered in flames in seconds.

 _Flamedra Armor Active._

The flames subsided from the spot where the Kamiyas stood, leaving a circle where the fire couldn't touch. The taller human was now clad is red armor with yellow and orange flame designs. Through the helm, Davis grinned. "Fire can't hurt me, not when it is my element." Younger Davis looked up at him in awe.

The Flamedra armour-clad Digidestined summoned a wall of fire, seperating him and Demon. Older Davis wrapped his arms around younger Davis and picked him up. He leapt to safety and set the younger boy down. "Go find the Davis of this world. Hurry! I'll distract Demon for now." Younger Davis nodded and ran off in the direction of the apartment building.

Older Davis turned back to the wall of fire, which Demon had just walked through without even getting burned. People were running for cover, screaming and causing a panic which spread like an epidemic. "Chaos Flare!" Towers of flares erupted randomly, causing Davis to jump back and forth to avoid them. He threw a few Flame Fists at the demon Digimon, but they were swatted away effortlessly. One of them hit a nearby car and it exploded in a ball of blazing destruction.

Davis tried to fist fight Demon, but his punches were dodged or easily blocked. Demon grabbed his arm when he tried to take a swing at the fallen angel and twisted it in a painful position, causing Davis to kneel. "Really, you are resorting to the crude movements humans call fighting? That's just sad. Double Dust!" Demon's free fist filled with dark magic and he reared it back before punching Davis hard in the chest. The armored man was thrown back fifty feet and he crashed into a car, crushing its side. He looked down at his chest-plate, touching the cracked armor.

Davis got up slowly, hoping that his younger self would be faster. _I can't hold out much longer, not if I am fighting alone._

* * *

Davis the younger ran as fast as he could to the apartment building. The complex was 10 stories tall and he had no idea where to start looking. Fortunately, he glanced up and spotted a boy identical to himself looking at the battle between Daemon and his older self. The boy spotted Davis too and his mouth fell agape.

Davis counted 3 floors up, first lot from the left. He took the elevator and reached the apartment. Just as he was in front of the door, it opened and Davis' puzzled looking doppelganger stared at him, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish.

"Daisuke, what are you-" a girl older than Davis stepped into sight, whom he recognized as Jun Motomiya.

Eyes widening in shock, Jun looked from Davis to Daisuke, then to Davis again before looking back at Daisuke. Then, her eyes rolled up in her head and she fainted.

Davis looked at the name plate above the doorbell on his left and back to Daisuke. "You're a Motomiya?!" He asked, incredulous.

Daisuke huffed indignantly and pointed a finger at Davis. "Of course I am a Motomiya. Now, do you mind explaining who you are and why do you look exactly like me?"

Grabbing Daisuke by the arm, Davis dragged his doppelganger out of the house. "I'll explain later but right now I need you to come with me. Put on some shoes. We have to hurry."

* * *

The older Davis crashed to the ground. His armor was torn and worn out from the fight. Hovering overhead, Demon looked down on his fallen adversary. "Enjoy your final moments, wretch." He had brought his claw-like hands together and prepared to bring a Hammer Knuckle down on Davis when he was kicked back by a newcomer who donned black and green armor. The force from the kicked sent Demon flying into a building, where he crashed through and made a hole in the wall. Ken Ichijouji, holding his unconscious younger self in his arms, had just arrived. "Taking on Daemon alone?" Ken shook his head. "You're crazier than I thought."

Davis glared at him as he got up. "It's about time you got here. Is he…" He pointed at the sleeping boy in his best friend's arms.

Ken nodded. "My alternate self from this world? Yes, he is. Thankfully, he lives in an apartment located where mine was, so my job was done quickly. I transferred _this_ Ken's memory about being the Kaiser to my younger self and supressed his own memories. Meanwhile I modified this boy's memory so that most recent events will were erased.

When he wakes up, he'll notice the differences in our home world and think he has gone crazy or that history has been changed." Older Ken sighed, happy that _his_ brother had been alive, unlike his alternate version. Well, at least Sam _had been_ alive until Dragomon murdered him in cold blood. "It was more of a forced abduction, really." He joked.

Davis looked in the direction of the apartment building. More lights had come on and there were residents looking from the balconies, trying to see what the commotion was all about. He could make out two boys running towards him. They had identical facial features.

The older Davis grinned and turned towards Ken. "It seems that my job is about to be completed too." Things suddenly went wrong, and it happened so fast, it is best to be described in slow motion.

Demon burst from the hole in the wall and lunged at the two boys who were running towards their older counterpart. Davis the younger turned back and saw Demon's Slash Nail attack coming towards them. The giant claw descended upon them, ready to deal fatal damage; Daisuke pushed younger Davis out of the way and took the hit. Pain racked his entire body and he fell face down on the ground, his back bleeding profusely.

"NO!" Both younger and older Davis screamed. Just then, a golden light shone around the two young boys. A similar light was emitted from older Davis' Digivice. Demon held up his hand to block the glaring glow. "This light… The golden light of the Digimental of Miracles! " He tried to pry open the barrier of light but withdrew his hand when he realized he couldn't. Demon attacked the barrier again, only to be blasted back by golden light. He stumbled backwards and opened a dark portal. Weakened immensely by the power, he faded in the dark portal, swearing. "I can't touch you, not when Miracles is your Guardian. I will destroy you some other day." And he was gone.

The light disappeared, leaving Davis and a fallen Daisuke on an empty street. A few fires were scattered along the battle-damaged place, and the sound of sirens could be heard in the distance. Older Davis and older Ken, still holding his younger alternate self, rushed towards them. The former kneeled down to examine the fallen boy, who had slash marks across his back. "No, no, no! He can't die. All my efforts can't go to waste just like that." Older Davis held Daisuke's limp body. The boy had stopped breathing.

The older Ken Ichijouji was also in shock. The plan had failed. Daisuke was dead. Their world could not be saved after all.

The older Davis hugged the dead boy tightly and sobbed. Suddenly, the same golden light shone from his Digivice. A gold box-like item materialized and bestowed its healing powers on Daisuke's body. A spasm ran through the boy's torso, the wounds stopped bleeding and Ken immediately checked for a pulse in Daisuke's neck. He felt relief course through him. The pulse was weak, but it was there.

Meanwhile, the two Davises stared transfixed at the golden Digiegg, as if hearing a voice speaking to them telepathically. After a long moment, older Davis turned to younger Davis and took the memory modifier from Ken. "This here is a memory modifier, it will erase most recent events (up to a month) from your mind and the past will be blurry. You will start a new life here, and the fate of this world will rest on your shoulders. Are you ready?" he asked.

Younger Davis nodded slowly, but he asked, "What about Tai? What about my brother?" The look on his face was fleeting and desperate. Older Davis smiled and replied, "You'll meet the Tai of this world someday. I am sure this guy-" He nodded towards the unconscious Daisuke, "—will find your brother."

Satisfied, younger Davis let the older version of him place the modifier on his forehead.

 _It was the start of a new story._

* * *

Younger Davis' vision went blank before he succumbed to sleep. He could slowly feel his existing memories fading as he sank into a deep slumber. The older Davis carried him to the apartment building and handed him over to the other Motomiya family members who were standing there in shock. A crowd of curious residents had gathered around to witness the commotion.

Davis was mildly surprised that his other self was a Motomiya, and he was thankful that the Motomiyas couldn't see him through his helm, otherwise they would have freaked out worse. He whipped out the memory modifier and flash erased the crowd's memory of the night's events. The crowd dispersed immediately. After that, he went back to the pick up the real Daisuke from Ken and the two of them opened a portal back home.

The flash erase made the Motomiyas forget that they had seen the exchange from a distance, although they couldn't make out which one was the real Daisuke in the first place. For all they knew right now, the boy in the father's arms was Motomiya Daisuke. The next morning, the news reported of a freak accident that occurred last night. Miraculously, nobody was hurt and the people just forgot about it.

As for Davis the younger, he would recall some things occasionally. His past wasn't gone completely, but it faded enough to let him begin again.

* * *

 **In another dimension…**

The Spirit of Miracles sighed contentedly. Being an almighty being, he could see that the future for both worlds was now had a chance to be bright. Sure, he was going to get scolded by the other gods for meddling in the affairs of the humans. Heck, even _Zeus_ had the nerve to reprimand him. Where did he get off being such a hypocrite, after having so many affairs with humans? However, he still couldn't just let both worlds suffer like that. He was too kind-hearted.

He could see that at some point in the future, the boys would regain their memory, and there was also the chance that they might fail. The journeys were going to be bumpy, but he believed that they would pull through.

Well, hopefully the future of both worlds would have a good ending.

Otherwise… He'd probably try again to change history.

* * *

 **Davis' Odaiba, present day**

Davis and Ken, both of the older versions, stood on the roof of the hospital wing at the Odaiba Academia. They had managed to complete their task, although just barely succeeding. Both of them were thinking of the same thing: the aftermath of the incident back in the other dimension.

The Digiegg had healed Daisuke before vanishing again. Then, the older Davis and Ken had carried the younger alternate versions of themselves through the inter-dimensional portal and back to their home world, where Daisuke was sent to the Odaiba Academia hospital (they registered him under the name Davis Kamiya and Ken (from the other world) was taken to his house.

Davis wondered about Daisuke's new future. _Will he make the same tough decisions I did? Will he be willing to sacrifice something in order to attain victory?_

He shook his head. It didn't matter anymore. All he knew was that the horrible future would be evaded. _It had to._

A tremor passed through his body. He looked down at his hands. They began to fade out of existence, meaning that his future was being erased. Davis grinned at Ken, elated that their world was going to have a different future. Ken disappeared completely first, but not before giving Davis a sincere smile of farewell. With his own body dissolving into nothingness, Davis looked up at the beautiful night sky, enjoying his last view of the world.

" _Good luck,"_ were Davis' final words to both his younger self and Daisuke, although he knew they couldn't hear him.

Then, Davis Kamiya was no more. He had completed his mission, and now it was up the young heroes to save both worlds.

* * *

 _A/N: That's the prologue of two worlds. History has been changed, leading to 21 year old Davis' timeline being erased completely. Now, let us proceed to Davis: Leader From Another World Chapter 1 and Daisuke: Meanwhile On The Other Side Chapter 1._

 _I guess I'll be updating the two stories alternatively. However, this won't stop me from writing more for one side if I get tons of inspiration._

 _Next up, Davis: Leader from another world and Daisuke: Meanwhile on the other side (find them on my profile). Read and review please!_


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